Accession Number
1958/1.162

Title
Leaf from a Bible with decorated initial and vegetal ornament

Artist(s)
Armenians

Object Creation Date
early 15th century

Medium & Support
ink on glazed paper

Dimensions
15 1/8 x 10 1/16 in. (38.4 x 25.5 cm);19 3/8 x 14 3/8 in. (49.21 x 36.51 cm)

Credit Line
Museum purchase

Subject matter
This leaf from a Bible contains part of the Gospel of Matthew written in Armenian and arranged in two columns. The initial in the lower right column in the shape of two pecking birds calls attention to the beginning of a new section within the text. The graceful curved forms of this initial and the ornamental sidebar in the left margin echo the flowing rhythm of the handwritten script.

Physical Description
This page from a manuscript features two columns of text written in Armenian. An animal-shaped initial, composed of two stylized birds pecking one another, appears in the lower right column. The lower left margin is decorated with a sidebar that elegantly combines geometric and plant motifs. The decorative elements are painted in pink and blue with touches of reddish orange.

Primary Object Classification
Bound Work

Primary Object Type
manuscript

Additional Object Classification(s)
Unbound Work

Collection Area
Western

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.

Keywords
Bibles
Christianity
illuminations (visual works)
manuscripts (document genre)